Women's Lacrosse

No. 1 Salisbury Takes Down No. 18 Stevenson

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The No. 1-ranked Salisbury University women’s lacrosse team captured a 14-10 Capital Athletic Conference victory over No. 18 Stevenson University on Saturday. The win marks the Sea Gulls' fifth victory over a nationally ranked program this season.

The Sea Gulls (13-0, 5-0 CAC) opened up the contest with an unassisted goal by junior midfielder Aileen McCausland (Phoenix, Md.) in the game’s 24th minute. The Mustangs (8-4, 3-2 CAC) answered back less than a minute later to even up the score before the Gulls went on an 8-0 scoring streak over the next 15 minutes. During that span, junior attacker Trish DiGirolomo (Davidsonville, Md.) scored two goals and dished out one assist, while sophomore midfielder Allie Wheatley (Cambridge, Md.) tallied a pair of goals. Stevenson ended the run with an unassisted goal by Spencer Kraus, and tallied another before the end of the first half to bring the score to 9-3 at the break.

The two teams would each score two goals over the first 10 minutes of play in the second half, with Salisbury getting its goals from McCausland off a pair of assists from DiGirolomo. Over the next six minutes, the Mustangs cut into the lead with a four-goal run that forced SU head coach Jim Nestor to call a timeout following a Stevenson goal that brought the score to 11-9. Salisbury won the ensuing draw control and spread out the field and took some time off the clock. After a minute of running the offense, senior midfielder Jessica Chmielewski (Woodbine, Md.) cut past her defender and fired a shot into the back of the net for a 12-9 SU advantage with 12 minutes remaining. Salisbury freshman goalkeeper Keli Berkman (Salisbury, Md.) came in to play following Chmielewski’s goal and gave up just one goal while coming up with two high-quality saves. Over the final few minutes of the contest, the Salisbury offense worked the ball around and finished with two additional tallies.

DiGirolomo led the way for the Sea Gulls as she posted six points on three goals and three assists; the six points matches her previous career-high, which she set in a win over Virginia Wesleyan College on Feb. 25, 2009. McCausland finished with a team-high four goals, with Wheatley and junior attacker Logan Bilderback (Arnold, Md.) each chipping in with two goals.

The Sea Gulls will take a weeklong hiatus before their next contest, as the Gulls will hit the road for a match against No. 5 ranked The College of New Jersey next Saturday, April 10. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.